On elevated concrete slabs of Interstate 10 crossing swampland west of New Orleans, the Lancer glided over bumpy tar seams. It was so quiet in the cabin that two passengers could converse sotto voce, despite our position in the middle lane squeezed between big-rig freight trucks.

Out in Cajun Country near Napoleonville, we played with the OZ Rally Lancer on narrow blacktop strips lacing across the bayous. It romped around the rare curve, chassis blocking lateral body sway and the body remaining relatively flat. A wide-track stance and front suspension with low longitudinal roll center contribute predictable stability to the car in corners, as the multi-link arrangement in back keeps rear wheels under control while damping road bumps. The rack-and-pinion steering works precisely yet lacks firmness in the center spot.

For motivation, all Lancer models draw from the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 120 horsepower. It is by no means the strongest in class, but special tuning is designed to generate more muscle at low- and mid-range speeds. That's why it leaps off the line and feels downright aggressive when running though second and third gears. There's still power left for passing, and our Lancer proved it can run comfortably at high speeds.

The manual transmission for OZ Rally has a short stick and shifts quickly. It feels tight and precise, even sporty.

A four-speed automatic transaxle, optional for Lancer ES and OZ Rally, uses electronic controls and adapts shift points to the individual style of the driver. We drove it and were impressed by the smooth and quiet shift work, but noticed the automatic subtly dampened Lancer's spirit as automatics tend to do.